Re: Intro and Question about Imagination and Forced Play

[Guest guest]

My son complains a lot about having a hard time getting his mind to stop playing

things over and over again - his mind gets stuck on things. It can almost

anything that gets stuck - a movie, a joke, a book he read, and worse it can be

an anxiety he's had.

Maybe this is what your son is referring to - that he is having a hard time

paying attention because his brain gets stuck?

I have tried some imagery things like saying " imagine that you're putting your

thought on a shelf now and you can take it back later, but for now, it's time to

do something else. Not too much success. However, someone mentioned a book -

what to so when your brain gets stuck - I may look into that.

Bonnie

[Guest guest]

Hi .

I too am new to the group and have been learning a great deal from everyone's

 input.

I am the mom of a 7.5 year old girl, who although she has not yet

been officially diagnosed, has been exhibiting symptoms of OCD since the age of

3. Like you, we are also in Ontario .... Toronto.

My daughter's symptoms are mainly around germs and contamination.  However, she

has also spoken of a game she plays in her mind when she is anxious.  She turns

into one of her stuffed animals before going to sleep and it helps her deal with

her fear of the dark.  Sometimes, she " changes into " another stuffed animal

during the day when playing by herself., with her Webkinz animals.

We have not been able to access any treatment as of yet and remain on the

waiting list at Sickids Hospital.  In the meantime, we have begun to educate

ourselves through books (and of course this group). 

Lil

________________________________

To:

Sent: Friday, September 4, 2009 7:09:54 AM

Subject: Intro and Question about Imagination and " Forced "

Play

 

Hello Fellow OCD Fighters,

My name is M, and I am mom to 8.5 year old son just recently diagnosed with

OCD and GAD. I have been lurking on this web group about a month had have

learned/received a lot of support. Thanks!

My son has had the " quirks " for years and over the past 8 months shifted to

violent rages which got us moving in a big way to find out what was going on. To

make a long story short, we have a psycologist at a major medical centre (we

live in Ontario, Canada - Hi Barb!) who is doing all the things you parents

suggest so she must be okay We also see a naturopath (son is terrible eater)

who added things like omega/fish oils, iron and an herbal tinture which calmed

the rages (they converted to much shorter crying fits).

We are still working out the hierarchy and learning what is going on in that

smart and sweet mind of his. We see some equalizing - both physical

(touching)and " fairness " , the odd bad thought and something is going on with

eating. Oh yeah, " germs " (magnified by 3 yr old brother's potty training).

My question is this - Last night when complimented on his last soccer game of

the season, son explained that it wasn't that great because he had been forced

to not pay complete attention to the soccer game as his brain was telling him to

play an imagination game (one he likes to do at home) and be a knight marching

instead of a kid soccer player.

That made us parents raise eyebrows at each other. Anybody else's OCD

masquarading as King Arthur and directing the play? Or any other such examples

of forced imaginary " play " ? Or is this a symptom of something else?

Thanks in advance for responses - a wish you all relaxed long weekends!

M

[Guest guest]

Hi ! Well I know my son's OCD (, 20) used to have a " something bad

will happen to me " feeling to it, so he had to comply to keep the " something

bad " from happening. So from that perspective (and did some weird

things), I can see OCD telling your son he had to do that.

Had to smile, I think your's isn't the first post I read recently where younger

siblings potty training/diapers were causing lots of OCD anxiety re

germs/contamination. I can imagine the issues that causes!

>

> Hello Fellow OCD Fighters,

> My name is M, and I am mom to 8.5 year old son just recently diagnosed

with OCD and GAD. I have been lurking on this web group about a month had have

learned/received a lot of support. Thanks!

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome, .

OCD thoughts are mostly not liked and unwanted, yet they can feel (temporary)

relief from giving in to them. Yet, you commented that he likes the imaginary

game.

The fact that " the imagination game " took control, sure sounds like it could be

OCD.

Our son used to play imaginary games in his head when he was young. I think it

was a distraction for him, to try to escape the OCD and anxiety. Do you think

he likes his game because of a similar reason?

That might be one to ask of Dr. Wagner or Dr. Chansky. If you put " Ask " then

the name of the doctor you want to ask, in the subject line, Louis can forward

your email to them and they can give their opinion. )

BJ

>

> Hello Fellow OCD Fighters,

> My name is M, and I am mom to 8.5 year old son just recently diagnosed

with OCD and GAD. I have been lurking on this web group about a month had have

learned/received a lot of support. Thanks!

>

> My son has had the " quirks " for years and over the past 8 months shifted to

violent rages which got us moving in a big way to find out what was going on. To

make a long story short, we have a psycologist at a major medical centre (we

live in Ontario, Canada - Hi Barb!) who is doing all the things you parents

suggest so she must be okay We also see a naturopath (son is terrible eater)

who added things like omega/fish oils, iron and an herbal tinture which calmed

the rages (they converted to much shorter crying fits).

>

> We are still working out the hierarchy and learning what is going on in that

smart and sweet mind of his. We see some equalizing - both physical

(touching)and " fairness " , the odd bad thought and something is going on with

eating. Oh yeah, " germs " (magnified by 3 yr old brother's potty training).

>

> My question is this - Last night when complimented on his last soccer game of

the season, son explained that it wasn't that great because he had been forced

to not pay complete attention to the soccer game as his brain was telling him to

play an imagination game (one he likes to do at home) and be a knight marching

instead of a kid soccer player.

>

> That made us parents raise eyebrows at each other. Anybody else's OCD

masquarading as King Arthur and directing the play? Or any other such examples

of forced imaginary " play " ? Or is this a symptom of something else?

>

> Thanks in advance for responses - a wish you all relaxed long weekends!

>

> M

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

With our daughter, we found that the OCD part of her brain would try to " mess

up " things that she loves. So at Ballet, she could not do certain hand

positions because of other rituals of thinking certain things that this would

set off. So she started feeling like she was not good at ballet, because she

was doing other things in her head all the time.

Meg did not have a specific game that she was playing, but she had specific

things that she had to think or do with her hands - to the same effect. I would

guess that just listing this on the heirarchy - and then figuring out what the

fear level would be if he said " no, I am not going to think about that game, I

am going to think about soccer " - what would that fear level be? I would guess

that he likes the game - but does not like " having " to think about it. Is that

right?

It is so sad when OCD tries to take things that they love, and use it to make

them have a hard time. Sports or a game. Sounds like you have a good team -

he'll learn the ERP therapy tools to get rid of this issue. Don't worry about

it being something else for now. OCD can make a lot of very strange things

happen, but he can fight through it.

The really wonderful thing is that he is telling you about it! That is a very

valuable thing - keep encouraging that, and he'll get better a lot faster. Our

therapist calls this detective work, and Meg gets (to this day!) a lot of

positive feedback when she finds a new OCD thought or action. Then she gets to

pick when & how to beat it up.

in NC

>

> >

> > Hello Fellow OCD Fighters,

> > My name is M, and I am mom to 8.5 year old son just recently diagnosed

with OCD and GAD. I have been lurking on this web group about a month had have

learned/received a lot of support.

> > My question is this - Last night when complimented on his last soccer game

of the season, son explained that it wasn't that great because he had been

forced to not pay complete attention to the soccer game as his brain was telling

him to play an imagination game (one he likes to do at home) and be a knight

marching instead of a kid soccer player.

> >

> > That made us parents raise eyebrows at each other. Anybody else's OCD

masquarading as King Arthur and directing the play? Or any other such examples

of forced imaginary " play " ? Or is this a symptom of something else?

> >

> > Thanks in advance for responses - a wish you all relaxed long weekends!

> >

> > M

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi . I am new here too, and am learning everyday. I keep getting those

" ah-ha " moments from these posts. My newly diagnosed OCD son, 13, probably

did/does have forced play. After reading your post I realized that all those

times he was playing imaginary war battles, or whatever it may be, and I

remembered there was a certain pattern to it, the fact he wouldn't do it in

front of me and the anger if it wasn't done correctly and he would have to start

over. I would have never connected those dots...And I'll bet there's so much

more I will realize later. He's never told me anything about the imaginary play

yet. With my son, it's about 50/50 on if he'll tell me about what's going on in

his sweet little noggin, or not. I get little pieces of information at a time,

usually out of the blue, when I least expect it. I do believe, now, that he's

had OCD longer than I thought.

Thank you for posting. It was helpful to me; sorry I could not return the

favor. Sending my best wishes to you and your family.

Pam B.

>

> Hello Fellow OCD Fighters,

> My name is M, and I am mom to 8.5 year old son just recently diagnosed

with OCD and GAD. I have been lurking on this web group about a month had have

learned/received a lot of support. Thanks!

>

> > My question is this - Last night when complimented on his last soccer game

of the season, son explained that it wasn't that great because he had been

forced to not pay complete attention to the soccer game as his brain was telling

him to play an imagination game (one he likes to do at home) and be a knight

marching instead of a kid soccer player.

>

> That made us parents raise eyebrows at each other. Anybody else's OCD

masquarading as King Arthur and directing the play? Or any other such examples

of forced imaginary " play " ? Or is this a symptom of something else?

>

> Thanks in advance for responses - a wish you all relaxed long weekends!

>

> M

>